


The Phantom Thief That Stole My Heart

by Friendly_Neighborhood_Hellspawn



Category: Persona 5, persona - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dirty Jokes, Fluff, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Wholesome úwù, relationship, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:02:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26981851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Friendly_Neighborhood_Hellspawn/pseuds/Friendly_Neighborhood_Hellspawn
Summary: This is a story about how Akechi and Joker first fall in love with each other and gradually begin to grow comfortable with their newfound bond.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 12
Kudos: 14





	1. Pancakes vs Waffles: The Real Waifu Wars

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I'm new to writing fanfic and I just wanted to test the waters with this fic I wrote because I really enjoy this ship, so I thought it would be a nice piece to start with. Please be patient with me, I'm basically an amateur, but I do this for fun anyway. I hope y'all enjoy this because I'd like to think other people would.

It was a cold evening in early October. Goro Akechi, the renowned detective prince, sits at his regular place at the calm IHOP. He liked coming there at that time because it was usually devoid of most people, so it gave him the rare opportunity to relax and eat delicious pancakes. However, this evening was different than most evenings he usually spent there, mainly because Ren, codename: Joker and notorious phantom thief, decided to walk in at that very moment. He at first was surprised to see Ren show up at this IHOP, especially considering the timing. 

Embarrassingly enough, Akechi felt excited at the prospect of seeing Ren. Ren had always been what Akechi considered to be his closest friend (although he'd never admit to it). However, the embarrassment of being found at IHOP kept Akechi from showing his excitement too much.

" _ Great _ ," thought Akechi, " _ Why did he choose now of all times to come here? I was looking forward to some peace and tranquility, but it looks like I'll have to save my plans for a later date."  _

Ren looks around the IHOP and sees Akechi sitting at the booth. He waves to him and starts walking over. "Hey Akechi," said Ren, "Funny meeting you here. I didn't know you hung out in places like these." 

"Well, I just so happen to enjoy the atmosphere here," responded Akechi, "Anyway, I do not see how this is any of your business." 

Ren holds his hands up in a mocking gesture of surrender and says, "Geez, I just wanted to say hi to you, no need to be so grouchy." 

Akechi sighs, "Since you're already here, you might as well sit down." 

Ren smiles in surprise, "Woah, really?" he exclaims, "Thanks, I appreciate the invitation." 

Akechi states, in a matter of factly tone, "Don't get too excited. I just invited you because I knew you were going to ask me if you could." 

Ren looks away shyly, and Akechi can almost swear that he sees Ren blushing slightly. But he chooses to ignore this for the time being and doesn't think of it to be anything noteworthy. And so, the two boys spend their time conversing with each other. However, it's less conversational and more argumentative. Regardless of the tone, the two boys are enjoying their time together, much to Akechi's chagrin. 

Internally, Akechi is very conflicted about how he feels at the moment. On the one hand, he finds Ren to be an annoying nuisance who drives him insane, but he can't help but feel enjoyment over the time they spent together. He's frustrated because he should be able to figure this out using his skills of deduction, yet this minor problem proves to be stumping him. Alas, he decides to ignore it for the time being until he can look into it further. 

A waitress comes by to deliver their food but pauses when she sees Ren sitting with Akechi. "Oh Akechi-Kun, you didn't tell me that you were with company today." exclaims the waitress, "Are you on a date? 

Akechi almost chokes on his water when he hears this.

He shouts, "Of course we're not! He just so happened to show up here, and I decided to invite him as a polite gesture." 

"Whatever you say." Says the waitress in an unconvinced tone of voice. She moves over to give Ren his food and whispers into his ear, "Hey, don't be so nervous. Akechi-Kun may be a bit intimidating, but I've been watching you for a while, and I've never seen him enjoy himself as much as I did today." Hearing this, Ren blushes a bit. The waiter promptly leaves, and once again, they're alone. 

Akechi stares at Ren and goes, "Hmmm." Ren looks back in confusion at Akechi's reaction. "I can't believe you voluntarily chose to eat that." 

"What do you mean," Says Joker, "It's just some normal waffles with syrup." 

Akechi looks at him in disgust, "Exactly, waffles are inferior in every single way to pancakes. Pancakes are delicate, fluffy, round creations that melt in your mouth. There is no possibility that waffles could hold a candle to pancakes."

"Uhhh dude, it's only pancakes. How much better can they be compared to waffles?” Ren is very confused at Akechi's sudden passion for pancakes. He didn't seem the type to be interested in these kinds of things.

"It's nothing important. I happen to have a strong personal preference for pancakes." Ren can sense that Akechi's not telling him everything in his response. So he decides to press further on the matter.

"What is the reason you like pancakes so much?" 

At first, Akechi hesitates, seemingly deep in thought. He can't decide whether or not it's a good idea to share something so personal to Ren. However, he can't help but feel like he should. Despite everything his mind is telling him, he decides that it would be easier to tell Ren. 

"Well, my passion for pancakes began when I was a young boy. You already knew that my mother was very busy and she couldn't take care of me very often. Despite this fact, every Saturday morning, she would without fail, make pancakes for breakfast before I went to school. It was the only time of the week she'd be able to cook for me. I cherished those pancakes every morning because they reminded me of her. To this day, I still honor her by eating pancakes every Saturday." 

Ren looks back at Akechi with an unreadable expression. "Go on, make fun of me. I know it's incredibly silly, but I will not be ashamed of my choices."

Ren looks surprised and says, "Why would I make fun of you? That was actually very sweet. I didn't know your mother meant so much to you. I'm sorry I doubted you." 

Akechi can barely hide his shock at hearing this. He looks at Ren's face for any sign of sarcasm or mockery, but what Ren said was entirely genuine. 

"Who would have known that the big bad Goro Akechi was such a softie."

"Shut up," Akechi says while trying to hold back a smile, "This is the exact reason why I did not wish to talk to you about this." 

Akechi feels his cheeks getting slightly warm. Seeing this, Ren laughs at Akechi's response, clearly enjoying how flustered he seems to be getting. Akechi is incredibly embarrassed by this. He doesn't even understand why he feels this way. Then Akechi unconsciously blurts out, "I don't understand you." 

Ren, clearly confused at this statement, asks, "What do you mean?"

Akechi sighs, "One moment I can't contain my hatred towards you, and then the next, I can't help but feel happy spending time with you. I've always dreaded losing to you, but even when I do, I can't help shaking with anticipation at the prospect of our next match. I thought this constant competition was the basis of our friendship and was the reason you agreed to our deal. Yet you voluntarily chose to hang out with me even if you got nothing of value from me."

"Well, of course I did. You're my friend, and I wanted to have fun with you. I mean, why else would I be sitting here talking to you about pancakes if we were friends."

Akechi looks deep in thought. He never actually considered the possibility that Ren merely wanted to hang out with him. 

"I guess when I think about it more in-depth," states Akechi, "All my other friendships and connections are more give and take than something purely based on being friends. Perhaps if I had been more observant, I would have noticed this earlier." Akechi chuckles slightly at his foolishness. He couldn't believe that the answer was right in front of him, yet it took him this long to figure it out. "Hey, um Ren?"

"Yes, Akechi," said Ren.

"Do you remember what you said to me back at the arcade a long time ago? We were playing that shooting game, and I remember you saying something that's been at the back of my mind since."

"Hmmmmm. I don't remember what I said. It was quite a while ago, so I can't be sure of what I said." 

"At the time, I had something about how our friendship was give and take. You held up your end of the deal, and I held up mine. But then you said that I was just your friend. I was your rival too. Even I couldn't realize how much what you said at the time meant. Had I bothered to pay more attention, I would have realized how much you meant to me. I apologize for being so dense."

Ren shakes his head at this, "Don't worry. It's perfectly fine. In fact, I should be the one apologizing to you. I wish I could have been more upfront about my feelings towards you, but I was just terrified of what you'd think. But if you're willing to tell me that, then I think I'm comfortable enough to you how I feel." 

Ren takes a deep breath, "The truth is, I also consider you to be one of the closest friends I've ever had. I enjoyed every time I was able to hang out with you. And now that you told me how much I mean to you, I thought it was only fair to tell you how much you mean to me. Goro I-" Ren pauses for a second, "I love you. I mean it in the most sincere way possible. No one else I've known has been able to do what you do to me. You make me feel special. Every competition, game, or argument you brought out a fire in me that I can't get from anyone else." 

Akechi is shocked at hearing this news. He can even fathom as to why Ren feels this way about him. But a part of him feels grateful that he can finally understand Ren's feelings towards him. "Ren, I had no clue," Is all Akechi can say, "I genuinely had no idea about this. I don't know how to feel about this. I feel happy, I feel scared, I feel strange, and I feel conflicted. I don't know how to make sense of all the feelings going on inside of me. Perhaps this is the feeling of being in love with someone." 

Ren laughs, "Yep took you long enough Mr. Detective Prince. So, do you feel the same, Akechi?" 

Akechi nods. He looks directly into Ren's black eyes and says, "Yes. I wouldn't have it any other way. If I think about it, I'm pretty lucky to have someone like you for a boyfriend. Not many would be willing to match, much less handle my intensity... Um, Ren?" Akechi loses his train of thought for a second as he sees Ren smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh, sorry! I was just happy that you called me your boyfriend," said Ren, slightly embarrassed at his show of affection.

"If it's too much for you, then I could give you an affectionate nickname like Attic Trash." Ren playfully blows a raspberry and gives Akechi a thumbs down. They both laugh at their silliness, yet neither of them has felt happier then they do now. 

"So, Akechi. Would you like to come over my place for a cup of coffee to celebrate?" 

Akechi knows he has a lot of work to do, but he decides one cup of coffee won't hurt. "Sure, why not? I wouldn't mind a decent cup of coffee, especially one made by you."

"Great!" exclaims Ren. "Let's pay first, and then we can go." 

As Ren calls over the waiter, Akechi can't help but feel extreme gratitude for Ren. He's glad that for the first time in a while since his mother passed, he has someone truly special to him. Akechi vows that he'll enjoy the time with Ren as much as possible, so he can know that no matter how things go, he'll have no regrets. 

Ren and Akechi promptly pay for their food and finally leave from the IHOP. On the way out, the waitress who gave them their food gives Akechi a thumbs up. He rolls his eyes at her, but she knows he's enjoying himself. Ren makes it a point to hold Akechi's hand on the way out. Even though Akechi is struggling against him, he doesn't want Ren to let go. And so the two boys go to Leblanc and enjoy a sweet moment together. Eventually, on his way out, Akechi surprises Ren by kissing him on the cheek. Ren's heart skips a beat, and Akechi quickly runs away to avoid any form of retaliation by Ren.


	2. Akechi shoots Joker... Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi and Ren finally decide to go on their first date. They're both very excited to test the new waters of their relationship and are both optimistic about their future.

It's only been two weeks since Akechi and Ren started dating, but Ren decides now's as good a time as ever to invite Akechi out for their first date. And even though Akechi and Ren have hung out alone on several occasions, he was still nervous for their first date. Ren wanted things to be as perfect as possible for him and Akechi, so he'll need to be at his best if he wants things to go smoothly. He needs to make sure that they both have fun together, and as long as they can accomplish that, then the date will be a success. 

Ren shows up at Akechi's place and immediately blindfolds him. Akechi, confused at this, says, "Ren! What the hell are you doing?" 

"Whoops. Guess I should have probably explained myself." Ren scratches the back of his head in embarrassment, "I wanted our first date to be special, so I thought it would be fun to make it a surprise date."

Akechi can only gape at the sheer ludicrousness of this ordeal, "Alright, have it your way Ren-Ren. I'll play your game for now." Ren can barely hide his glee at hearing this. He looks forward to the fun day they are sure to have.

After countless train stops and several minutes of walking, Ren and Akechi finally make it to the location of their date. Akechi, glad that they're almost at their destination, says, "Hey, Ren. I know the blindfold was used as a means to keep things secret but was it necessary to hold my hand the entire time as well." 

"Well, how else would I be able to guide you?" responded Ren. Akechi, shaking his head but smiling all the while, wonders how he ever lets himself get talked into these kinds of situations. "All right, we're here. You can take off the blindfold in three two ONE!" Akechi takes his blindfold off and opens his eyes to find that they are in Suidobashi, right in front of Dome Town. 

"Hmmm, not too shabby. I'm quite impressed that you were able to coordinate this. I'm not sure if you were aware, but I happen to be quite fond of amusement parks. This date looks to be promising." Ren breathes a sigh of relief as his surprise was successful, and Akechi appears to be very pleased. "So, what shall we be doing today?"

This question brings Ren back to reality as he had neglected to plan this far in advance. "Oh, shit! I was so busy planning the surprise that I forgot to plan the actual date. I'm sorry."

Akechi decides it'd be best to hold back his instincts to ridicule him and thinks it would be best to comfort him, "There's no need to apologize. You already went through the trouble of planning this surprise, so I'm already impressed enough. I'm sure it'll be fun to make up the plan as we go. Right?" Joker nods and smiles back at Akechi. "There he is. There's the Ren I know and love." Ren, although surprised by Akechi's handling of the situation, is none the less grateful for his support.

"Ok. Since I planned the surprise, I think it's only fair you get to the honor of picking out the first activity." 

Akechi ponders his choice for a second, "hmmm, I think we should go to the rollercoasters first. You may not have known this, but I happen to be quite the adrenaline fanatic. I think the excitement should be a good and stimulating experience for us. Don't you think so?" 

"Sure! I haven't gone on many rollercoasters, but this sounds like a fun idea." Akechi extends his hand to Ren, "Shall we? Ren takes his hand, "I think we shall."

The two boys head over to the rollercoasters hand in hand. Akechi insists that they ride as many rollercoasters as they can, so they can make the most of their visit there. Ren, although a bit surprised by Akechi's enthusiasm, agrees with his idea(which he will later come to regret). Ride after ride, and Akechi's energy shows no sign of decreasing. It's almost as if he gets more charged with each roller coaster they ride. Ren, on the other hand, is not fairing so well. In his excitement, he forgot about his above-average susceptibility to motion sickness. By the time they finished riding the last roller coaster, Ren was looking worse for wear. 

"Ah, that was quite refreshing," said Akechi, "I had forgotten how fun things like this could be."

Ren, still feeling the effects of the last ride says, "Yeah,  _ gulp  _ very __ refreshing." 

Akechi, seeing Ren's vulnerable state, decides he should do something to help him. However, he decides that before he should help, he'll take the chance to tease him a bit. 

"Aw, is my poor Ren-Ren not feewing very good?" He said in a very patronizing tone. "Oh, fuck off-" is all Ren can manage before he pukes in the nearby garbage can. Akechi pats his back and proposes they get ice cream to calm Ren's stomach. Ren eagerly agrees, but not before he finishes vomiting the remains of his breakfast.

Two Ice creams later and Ren seems to be in much higher spirits, "Phew, that ice cream sure does hit the spot. I think it's going to be a while before I'm ready to ride another roller coaster again." 

"I'd like to apologize, seeing as it is technically my fault for suggesting we ride every single roller coaster. Still, it's impressive you lasted for as long you did."

"Well, I mean, we literally fought a god, so it doesn't get much worse than that. Although, this is still up there in terms of how bad I feel." They laugh at this and decide it's time for them to go somewhere else. Akechi and Ren agree to walk around the park and see if they can find anything interesting or fun. They walk around for an hour or so, glad to enjoy each other's company until Akechi spots something that seems to catch his eye. 

"Hey, Ren. Look over there." Akechi points in the direction of a booth with toy guns. "A shooting gallery?" Asks Ren. "Yes, it is. I thought it would be a nice gesture to win a prize for you." Akechi starts walking over to the booth, but Ren interrupts him.

"Wait a minute.  **_ I  _ ** wanted to win a prize for you. Who decided you'd be the one to get me something?"

"Well, it was me who offered to win you something first. Besides, my marksmanship is leagues above yours, so it seems more fitting for me to win you a prize." 

Ren's competitiveness is starting to get the better of him, "Oh! So you think you're a better shooter than me. Well, Goro, you seem to be mistaken. Last time I checked, I had the better aim between the two of us."

Akechi is clearly enjoying himself, so he decides to poke the bear a bit more, "Looks like someone is a bit heated over this. Very well then, how about this? I propose we hold a competition. We both participate in the shooting game, and whoever can hit their targets in the shortest amount of time, wins the right to give the loser a stuffed toy."

"All right, sounds good to me!" Ren and Akechi eagerly approach the man running the shooting gallery booth. The booth, although not much on closer inspection, should be suitable enough for their competition.

Akechi approaches the man first and says, "Excuse me, sir. Me and my boyfriend were interested in playing your shooting game."

"Ok, you got it, kid." said the game master, " I'll give you a basic rundown of the rules. You have 15 targets. All you have to do is knock them down in the fastest time possible. Now get ready. I'll give you a countdown before the game starts." Ren and Akechi both take their positions in the booth. They both have a look of extreme focus. It's clear that neither of them is willing to lose. 

"You ready to lose Akechi?" Akechi sneers at this, "Oh, trust me. This will be a slaughter." 

"Just try not to shoot me like last time." 

"I'll try, but I make no promises." the game master coughs, signaling for them to get ready.

"The match will start in three, two, 1, GO!" Immediately the boys start shooting down their targets with incredible speed and efficiency. Neither seems to have the upper hand on each other. Their skills seem to be exactly equal to each other. Soon they're both down to 1 target left. They both know that victory is in their grasp. Both aim at their final target, fire their last shot, and both shoot down their final target simultaneously. 

"Hmmm. I can't tell who finished first." the game master says, clearly impressed at the two boys skills, "I guess I'll have to call a tie." 

Akechi is visibly disappointed at the results of this match. He had been hoping he could put Joker in his place. Still, he knew he wouldn't be satisfied with a tie, so he says to Ren, "This won't do at all. How about a rematch. The same conditions will apply." 

"Bring it on, Akechi." The boys have a rematch against each other. However, the results don't change, and they both finish at the same time once again. Both are too stubborn to accept a tie, so they keep rematching until one of them wins. They keep fighting round are round, and every round ends with the same results. Unfortunately for the Game Master, he has to keep giving them prizes for playing the game, and soon enough, they have a mountain of stuff toys piled at their feet. Eventually, all of the toys are gone except for one. Meaning, they both only have one more chance to win. 

Akechi, although exhausted, smiles and says, "Are *huff* you *huff* ready *huff* to give *huff* up yet." 

"Not *huff* a *huff* chance." responds Ren, "One more round, winner takes all."

"Fine. I'll warn you. There is no chance I'm going to lose here." Akechi's eyes are burning with a growing determination. Ren doesn't let this deter him. In fact, this ends up strengthing his resolve to win even more. 

Akechi and Ren stand ready for the final time. Neither of them even dares to look at the other in fear of losing their focus. The match begins, and immediately it's clear that they're both giving their all. Neither of them is willing to back down an inch. Finally, both are down to their last targets once again. However, Akechi changes his aim towards Ren. Before Ren can notice this, Akechi fires at Ren's gun, and the shot causes Ren to lose his grip. Akechi takes the chance to make the final shot and win the round.

Ren is livid at this, "Awwwww. No fair! That's cheating." Ren's outrage seems to have little effect on Akechi as he's still basking in his victory, "All's fair in love and war. Besides, I'm sure that had you bother to think of shooting the gun out of my hand, you would have done so."

"*sigh*. Yeah, you're right." Ren says begrudgingly. Akechi, satisfied at his victory, asks the man for the remaining stuffed toy. The man hands over the toy, which ironically turns out to be a stuffed pancake, and Akechi thanks him as he walks back to Ren with a smug face. 

"Ehm. Is there something you'd like to say to your boyfriend who so graciously won you this stuffed pancake?" Ren sighs and begrudgingly says, "Thank you sooooo much. You are the best boyfriend ever, and I'm so impressed by your superior skills."

"And?" 

"Pancakes are superior to waffles, and I'm sorry that I disrespected them by eating them in your presence." 

"And?" Ren moves closer to Akechi and kisses him on the cheek. "See, not so hard. Was it?" Ren sticks his tongue out at Akechi, "Aw. You're so cute when you lose, which is good because it happens often." 

"I hate you so much right now," Ren says with a salty expression. Akechi decides to move in a bit closer and hugs Ren. Ren tries to stay mad, but he's enjoying it too much, "Hmm. It looks like someone is a bit affectionate today." teases Ren.

"Shut up. I don't do this very often, so don't get used to it." "Don't worry," says Ren, "I'll make sure not to take it for granted" "Me neither." Whispers Akechi under his breath. 

"Hey, it's getting a bit late. Should we go?"

"Yes. I think we've enough fun today. I'm quite exhausted after today, but I had a fun time none the less."

"Me too. And this is just the first date. There are plenty more surprises I have planned for you." 

"I can hardly wait. But don't think you're safe. I'll make sure to have some fun dates planned as well. So I advise you to stay on guard." "I wouldn't have it any other way," Ren says as he nestles against Akechi's arm. 

On the train ride home, Ren ends up falling asleep on Akechi's lap. Akechi, not use to being in this kind of position, starts to mindlessly stroke Ren's hair. Ren wakes up, understandably confused by this, but Akechi brushes it off and insists that he was only taking something out of Ren's hair. Ren is too tired to press this, so he decides to let it go for now. 

They arrive at Leblanc first, so Ren says his goodbyes to Akechi. Akechi hugs Ren and wishes him goodnight. But before Akechi leaves, Ren takes his revenge from their last encounter and swiftly plants a kiss on Akechi, and immediately retreats into Leblanc. Akechi can only smile at him. He scratches his head in disbelief as to how any of this could happen. But he's glad. He looks forward to the future of his relationship with Ren. Although he's not sure what's going to happen, he knows that at the very least, it won't be dull.


	3. A bunch of halloweiners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween, which means it's the time for monsters, scary stuff, candy, and love. Akechi and Joker are excited to spend their first Halloween together with special guest visits from the rest of the phantom thieves.

The weeks following Akechi and Ren's first date have been quite refreshing. The two of them are starting to come down from the initial high of first entering a relationship. Now, they've settled down a bit and are quite used to each other's company. They even broke the news to the rest of the thieves, to which they received mixed reactions. Ann and Futaba had been making bets about how long it would take for them to get together (Ann won, and Futaba was very upset about this). Haru and Makoto were very supportive of their relationship and wished them good luck. Sumire, Ryuji, and Yusuke were all just clueless about this (despite their constant flirting), but they were still happy for them. Overall the reception of the news was surprisingly good, and it's a sure sign of good things to come.  


The time flies by, and it's now Halloween day. Ren and Akechi are planning to hold a small party at Leblanc with the rest of the thieves. Surprisingly, Akechi seems to be a bit nervous about the party. He's not very used to these kinds of gatherings and is unsure if things will go well. Ren tries to comfort him by helping him prepare his Halloween costume.  
It's an hour before the party, and Akechi is in the bathroom of Leblanc changing. Ren talks to him from the other side of the door, "Hey, Akechi. How's it going in there."  


Akechi sighs and says, "I don't know. I feel so exposed right now. I knew I shouldn't have picked something so personal for my costume."  
"Oh, come on!" Ren shouts, "I'm sure you and your ass look great in it, so you shouldn't be embarrassed. Now can you please come out? I'm practically dying from the anticipation." Akechi hesitates, but slowly, he opens the bathroom door. Akechi shyly stands in the doorway wearing the outfit of Grey Pigeon from Phoneix Rangers Featherman R. The costume itself is very high quality with various small details that only a hardcore fan of the show could recognize. It's also tailored perfectly to Akechi's body, which seems to be having a drastic effect on Ren.

Akechi, embarrassed at Ren's reaction, says, "Stop it. You're making a fool out of yourself. Besides, it's not that big of a deal." Ren, regaining his composure, responds. "Sorry. I just, I just... wow. I mean, the costume looks perfect on you like it's actually from the show. Plus, it makes your butt look fantastic." Akechi's face goes bright red at this, and he immediately flicks Ren on the forehead.

"Yeah, just great. Keep adding more things for me to be self-conscious about." Ren, rubbing his forehead, says, "Hey, there is no reason to be self-conscious about that ass. All jokes aside, you look amazing."

"Thanks, I guess," Akechi replies begrudgingly.  


"Anyway, aren't you going to say anything about my costume?" In his nervousness, Akechi completely forgot to acknowledge what Ren was wearing. Ren was wearing a standard Dracula outfit complete with a cape, red gloves, and toy fangs. Although it wasn't as detailed as Akechi's costume, it still accentuated his style nicely.

"I'll admit that you look quite dapper in your outfit. However, it's a bit ironic that you're dressed as Dracula considering that I'll be the one biting into you." Ren's nose immediately starts to bleed after hearing this, which prompts more teasing from Akechi. Fortunately, Akechi decides to stop just in time for Ren to clean up before the party stops.  


As the evening comes, all the preparations for the party are complete. Leblanc is covered head to toe in Halloween decorations. Ghouls and goblins can be found in every corner, while black and orange ribbons hang from the rafters. Jack-o-lanterns of all shapes, sizes, and designs are displayed at the counter for all to see. Not to mention the spectacular spread of Halloween treats set out on the tables for the party. Everything was ready for their first Halloween together.  
The rest of the Phantom Thieves arrive soon there afterward dressed in various costumes. Ann is wearing a zombie cheerleader outfit(the scary type, not the sexy type), Ryuji dressed as a skeleton, Yusuke just decided to put on an afro and call himself Bob Ross. Makoto and Haru dressed up together in matching maid outfits, Futaba came dressed as Princess Leia, and Kasumi dressed up as Sailor Moon(Morgana also is a part of Kasumi's costume because he's dressed as Luna).  
Once everyone has arrived, the party goes into full swing, and everyone is having a blast. However, Akechi keeps getting attention for his costume choice, which forces him to keep his mask on to avoid revealing his embarrassment. Overall though, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and whether Akechi will admit it or not, he is having a lot of fun.  


As the night goes on, the phantom thieves decide to hold a pumpkin carving contest, unsurprisingly, sparking Akechi and Ren's competitive spirit. "Despite not having the most delicate hand," Akechi begins, "my fingers are quite nimble as Ren can attest."  


"Don't think you're going to throw me off my game that easily Akechi. I'm going to win hands down."

"Guys, you do realize this is just a casual pumpkin carving contest?" says Ann.

"Give it a rest Ann. There's nothing casual about whatever goes down between those two." Interjects Makoto.

Futaba, with an evil glare in her eyes, says, "Hehe, I say we raise the stakes a bit. Whoever between the two of you has a better pumpkin gets the right to force the other person to wear an embarrassing costume of their choice." Akechi and Ren nod at each other with approval. "Then it's decided. It's time for the 1st annual Phantom Thieves Pumpkin Carving Contest to begin!"

The second the contest begins, everyone immediately sets out on carving their pumpkin. Each of the thieves seems to be taking their own approach to things. Ryuji and Sumire are more or less winging things and are just here to have fun. Ann, Futaba, and Haru are more interested in the showdown going on between Akechi and Ren. Yusuke and Makoto are taking things more seriously, with both of them having looks of intense concentration. However, the main event is the tension going on between Akechi and Ren. They're both giving each other the death glare and are becoming quite hostile.  
Akechi feels something wet hit his face, and all he sees is pumpkin guts smeared across his face. He looks over and finds Ren giggling at him. Akechi is pissed now. He refuses to take this sitting down, so he launches a counterattack on Ren. Ren sees Akechi prepare his assault, but is too late and gets hit directly in the face.  


Ren wipes the pumpkin off his face and yells, "Hey, what was that, Akechi!?"  
Akechi looks over at him innocently. "Oh, it seems my hand slipped. My apologies." Ren becomes even more infuriated after hearing this and responds with,

"Mhm, hand slipped my ass! You did that on purpose."

"I was merely returning the favor. No need to be so salty about it." Akechi says this all with a coy smile, much to Ren's chagrin. This back and forth continues for the better part of an hour, which leaves the majority of their surroundings covered in pumpkin. Despite all of their fighting and bickering, both Akechi and Ren were able to finish their Jack-O-Lanterns.

The thieves all take their respective pumpkins and line them up on the countertop. Ann, Makoto, and Sumire all have similar aesthetics for their pumpkins. Each of their pumpkins seems to be putting a cute spin on the typically scary decoration, but they still look nice. Ryuji carves a skull into his pumpkin (because of course, he does), which Morgana shakes his head in disapproval. Futaba and surprisingly Haru, decide to go the traditional scary route, which terrifies the rest of the thieves on how adept they are at creating something so terrifying. And Yusuke was somehow able to carve a recreation of the Mona Lisa into his pumpkin despite not having a stencil.  


Finally, there are only two pumpkins left. Akechi's pumpkin, surprisingly, takes a more cute direction than expected. Akechi carved a stack of pancakes into his pumpkin and spared no detail. There's syrup, a dollop of butter, and he carved a cute little face into it. Ren, on the other hand, decided to surprise everyone by carving Morgana's metaverse form into the pumpkin. With Ren's abundant levels of proficiency, he was able to recreate an exact replication of Morgana with extreme detail.  


The thieves all take their time deciding who has the best pumpkin, but in the end, Ren ends up winning by a landslide. It was hard for them to overlook something so elaborately detailed. When Akechi hears this, he can't even begin to imagine what kind of cruel costume Ren will make him wear. Especially after the shooting range incident.

Ren looks over at Akechi with a terrifying smile and says, "Awww. So it looks like I win. You know what that means?" Akechi just sighs in defeat, "That's right! You have to wear whatever I choose for you. So I think for your punishment, you have to wear a sexy cat costume."  
Akechi's eyes practically bulge out of their sockets when hearing this. "No, no, no! There is no way in hell that I'm going to wear something that degrading. Especially here in all places." Ren just wags his finger at him, "Uh, uh. You lost fair and square, which means you have to do it. If it makes you feel better, I'm sure you'll look great." With that, Ren kisses Akechi on the lips and sends him upstairs to change into his costume.

Akechi begrudgingly heads upstairs to change into his costume. A few minutes later, Akechi finally finishes dressing and slowly goes downstairs to the rest of the anticipating thieves. As Akechi finally makes his way downstairs, it's clear that's he's embarrassed by the costume. Although, it's easy to see why considering that he's only wearing a black crop top, black short shorts, cat ears, cat paws, and a tail to match. The outfit does not leave anything to the imagination about Akechi's lean and lithe figure.

After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, Akechi decides to break the ice by saying, "Meow," which causes the rest of the thieves to start howling with laughter. Despite the embarrassing nature of the costume, everyone still complements Akechi for his bravery, not to mention how good he looks in it. Ren even starts to drool a bit when he sees Akechi in his costume, which brings on another fit of laughter from the thieves.  
The party keeps on going for a little while until it gets late, and everyone starts to leave. Soon, only Akechi and Ren are left alone in the cafe.  
"See, that wasn't so bad. Right!?" Ren says, trying to tease Akechi. "I suppose that was more fun than I expected. But I still would have preferred not to have worn the cat costume in front of everyone."

"Well, I still enjoyed seeing it. You know what else I enjoy?" Ren moves closer as he says this. "What?" asks Akechi.  
Ren slowly starts to caress Akechi and, while doing so, says, "It's something long, thick, and fun to play with." Akechi looks backward and sees Ren holding his tail in his mouth, "Your tail!" Akechi, not at all amused by this, smack Ren and grabs his tail.

"Alright then, I think that's enough from you. Don't make me use my claws on you." Akechi holds up his paws for emphasis, which silences Ren, "Oh, what's the matter Ren-Ren? Cat got your tongue?" Ren gives a disappointed sigh at how lame that pun was. "Oh, come on. You expect me to have to wear this and take things seriously."

"Not really, but even for you that bad."

"Whatever, I still thought it was funny." Ren shakes his head.

"So, um Akechi. Would you like to stay in my room for the night?" Akechi ponders over this for a second and says, "Might as well. It's quite late anyway, so I think it would be for the best that I stay here with you. Besides, this will be a good opportunity to get a bit closer."  
Ren feels his heartbeat increase but doesn't let it deter him. "Great. I'll be waiting upstairs then." Ren makes his way starts making his way upstairs with all the thoughts of what fun they're going to have tonight. Akechi waiting downstairs is also having similar thoughts to Ren. He looks forward to what promises to be an interesting, but fun night for the two of them.


End file.
